Tag Archives: ATC display

Hand on heart, I promise I didn’t manipulate time at all – I started this after I posted the first one today, and in between then and now, I finished it. Included in the time was a second cup of coffee, getting the family off for the day, and a few household tasks.

It is as simple as the landscape one and uses less in the way of supplies.

What you need:

3 baseball card sleeves

1 sheet of A4 or US letter cardstock

thin double-sided adhesive (and other large area adhesive)

washi tape

2 large eyelets

cord/twine/ribbon for hanging

1. Carefully trim away the ring-binder hole strip from the sides of the sleeves. Don’t trim too close – you don’t want to compromise the pockets!

2. Add a line of thin double-sided adhesive to the top and bottom edge of two sleeves and just the top edge of the last one.

3. Cut two 1 1/4 inch strips from your cardstock, across the width.

4. Join the first sleeve to the second by sticking the BOTTOM line of adhesive on the first sleeve to the top edge of the cardstock strip then joining the TOP line of adhesive on the next sleeve to the bottom edge of the same cardstock strip.

Join the third sleeve to the second sleeve n the same way.

5. Fill the gap between the two with washi tape to decorate (or ribbon, or patterned paper, or leave it plain!)

6. Take the leftover piece of cardstock. It will depend on what size card you started with as to your score line. Find the middle and score 1/2 inch left or right of that, doesn’t matter which – you just want one side bigger than the other

7. Stick the top line of adhesive on the first sleeve to the bottom edge of the back piece of your folded cardstock, making sure the FRONT piece does not overlap the slit for inserting your ATCs

8. Punch holes and insert eyelets in the tip two corners of the cardstock topper and add cord/twine/ribbon as a hanger.

Decorate and DONE!

I streamlined the decorating by just using some punch out letters, a few buttons, a big flower and a strip of the same washi tape that covers the gaps between the sleeves. Took no time at all.

I have no more ATCs to display! These are just bits I had cut from Gelli prints or other things that I was saving for ATC backgrounds. See the join in this close up? Not as polished as the full-frame version but it uses so little in the way of supplies and take so little time, that is a compromise I can live with LOL!

I’ll maybe try to get some actual GOOD photos of these, if I can find a place that works, and links to all three posts to each one, just to make finding them all easy.

Now, I’ve promised an update of one of my calendars (from 2013) for 2015 and I am off to the Newbury Stamp show tomorrow, so I’d better get cracking!

Well, lest you think I am being facetious, know this – I DO know the actual meaning of the word LITERALLY and I am NOT exaggerating when I say this took me literally no more than 15 minutes to make (the basic design – of course the decorating took a little longer, cause I faff about with that sort of thing.)

It also made me think that it might be possible to cut down on the complexity of the Portrait-style one by omitting the side bars. Although I do LIKE the frame around it, the bare-bones Landscape version does perhaps focus your eye on the ATCs. I am pretty sure I know what needs to be done (and as a side benefit I suspect that 12×12 cardstock is going to work just fine) so may do a second post later with the info on that. But if you look at this as well as the last post, I’m betting you won’t need that.

What you need:

3 baseball card sleeves

1 sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock

washi tape (ribbon could work)

double-sided adhesive (1/2 inch)

2 inch wide packing tape

2 large eyelets and cord/twine/ribbon to hang

Start your timer! You could almost make this as fast as you can read it!

1. Lay two of the sleeves horizontal, with the front slit (where you slid in the ATCs) face DOWN. The ring binder hole strip should be at the top. I added that little strip of washi tape to the front, like I did for the portrait version but not sure even scatterbrained me needed it.

Butt the edge of the hole strip of the second sleeve right up to the edge of the first one.

The cardstock is there, but only to highlight the area I am speaking about.

2. Join the two with the packing tape. Try to centre the join in the packing tape strip.

3. Cover the ring binder hole strip with the washi tape. Standard sized washi tape should cover it perfectly without covering any of the display area.

6. Add double-sided adhesive to one side of the ring binder hole strip and carefully stick one edge of the cardstock.

Make sure the edges of the cardstock don’t overlap the sleeve at all, but cover ONLY the ring binder strip.

Add more adhesive inside, and double-sided adhesive to the reverse of the ring binder strip then sandwich the strip within the cardstock

7. Add a large eyelets in each of the top corners and thread thru ribbon/twine/cord to create a hanger

Decorate and DONE.

It actually works perfectly, three horizontal sleeves match two vertical sleeves length-wise.

Those are hanging on the wall, in a not-very-well-lit corner, but you can see they are almost the same length. Likewise, three vertical sleeves would match (nearly) four horizontal ones (if that kind of thing matters to you LOL!)

See what I mean? So simple. Now I have to go BACK to the other one and try making a no-frame version and see how I like it. And I have yet another idea to try. If it works. I’ll share.

Trust me – the easy version is SO much easier, and uses less in the way of supplies, even if it isn’t as polished looking, that it is a compromise I bet you can live with.

LOL! If you know me at all you know I can get an idea in my head and there is nothing to be done but see it thru. One of my WOYWW mates, Robyn O, mentioned, quite idly, on her blog post that she was trying to think of a way to display them so they’re not lost in a box. I dropped in my blog post comment with an idea that made sense to me, and as I was hopping thru the blog, it was preying on my mind. So, of course, I had to see it thru.

That one is made from three sleeve sheets, but I also made one using just two. Above you can see it along the side of a bookcase – it fits perfectly and a tall bookcase would accommodate a display of FOUR sleeves with ease. Here is the two-sleeve version (not decorated the top yet, and this one was the first one so perhaps slightly different.

Strong double-sided adhesive in a few widths, from very thin to about 1/2 inch

clear packing tape (2 inch wide)

a roll of washi standard width tape or ribbon (a lot, but how much will depend on the number of sleeves)

At least two large eyelets

cord or ribbon for hanging

Patterned paper, embellies, etc for decorating

Cardstock – mine was 13.5 x 9.5 from a cardstock pack I got here in the UK (12 x 12 is fine but A4/US letter is too small)

I’ll tell you where the smaller 12 x 12 matters and suggest how you can accommodate that

Prepare:

Cut two 3/4 inch x the full length of your cardstock for EACH sleeve (so two sleeves, four strips/three sleeves, six strips)

Cut one 1 1/4 inch x at least 10 inch strips for each JOIN of two sleeves + one for the bottom (two sleeves, two strips/three sleeves, three strips)

For the decorative strip at the top, you have some flexibility, so don’t cut it now. MINE is 9 inches tall x at least 10 inches wide but depending on how precise you are you will be trimming some off one side

put a small strip of washi tape on the FRONT of each sleeve – this is the side that allows you to access all the slits for slipping in the cards, where the ring-binder hole strip is to your LEFT. You do NOT want to mistakenly stick one with the slip-in to the back. This will help as you move thru the steps.

Photographing clear things is hard, but I’ve tried to explain as best I can with words, so the photos make more sense.

Don’t worry that the adhesive is sticky thru the holes, for now. We’ll deal with that in the washi tape stage.

2. Stick one of the 3/4 inch strips over this. Centre the strip so a bit sticks out at the top and bottom edge. THIS is where the longer cardstock will really help.

See how much I have extending top and bottom?

3. Flip the sleeves over so you are not working on the BACK side. Lay a 3/4 inch strip RIGHT along the very EDGE of the sleeve.

Keep it all straight using the grid lines on your mat,then cover from the edge of the cardstock strip right across onto the sleeve, with the packing tape.

Note: This is to keep the BACK of your ATC on show, without anything blocking it. You CAN use a wider strip and stick it to the BACK of the sleeve, just like you did with the ring binder strip, but it will cover part of the ATC. Up to you. It is easier but packing tape is cheap and double-sided adhesive is not.

4. Cut away the extra packing tape from the corner (top and bottom of sleeve and strip)

Now we will join the sleeves – this one is so long, you are not going to see the WHOLE strip, just the area we are working on.

5. Lay two sleeves one above the other, face down . Add thin double-sided adhesive to the sleeves. Just at the very edges, bottom of one, top of the other:

Add adhesive to the side (3/4 inch) cardstock that extends past the sleeve. If you have used longer cardstock you can overlap these. If you only have 12 x 12 cardstock, you SHOULD have enough extending to stick those legs to the 1 1/4 inch strips. Stick the very edge of the 1 1/4 inch strip to the bottom of the first sleeve, from side edge to side edge, then stick the other side to the top of the second sleeve.

You want a gap between them at least as wide as your washi tape. The 1 1/4 inch cardstock should be just right to allow that.

and stuck:

Trim at the side if your strip is too long – it will be. 10 inches will always be too wide but better to trim a bit than have one side too short.

Repeat this step for each join of two sleeves.

6. At the BOTTOM EDGE of the LAST SLEEVE, add your thin adhesive and stick the final 1 1/4 strip to it and trim.

Now your basic sleeve strip is complete. Add the Washi tape (or ribbon, or even strips of patterned paper) to cover.

NOTE: IF you used 12 x 12 cardstock, feel free to cut a small piece of cardstock to fill the gap or a longer strip to cover the gap, before you add the washi tape.

NOTE: Where you added the adhesive to stick the cardstock over the ring binder strip, the adhesive will be exposed thru the holes. Cover this with Washi tape.

Now for the top! Have the top of the sleeve strip face up.

7. Lay your cardstock RIGHT at the edge of the FRONT layer of the sleeve. This will leave you with a tiny strip of the BACK layer of the sleeve UNDER the cardstock.

Decide how big you want your decorative topper. MAKE SURE your topper is AT LEAST double the height + one inch. Score the cardstock and fold and crease. You want to have the BACK extend past the edge of the sleeve.

My topper on the grey display was 9 inches tall x 10 inches wide. Scored at 4 inches. That gave me a front surface of 4 x 10 and a back of 5 x 10. Remember that 10 inch width is wiggle room for trimming to fit!

8. Add a thin strip of double-sided adhesive to the very top edge on the BACK of the sleeve – on the tiny bit that will be behind the cardstock – can you just see it there above?

Add adhesive to the extensions at the top of the sleeve.

Don’t peel off the backing. Add adhesive to the FRONT of those extensions. Stick the topper (the smaller width, up to the score) with the edge RIGHT along the edge of the top layer of the sleeve and flip it over:

Add more adhesive then fold over at the crease and stick the larger width to sandwich the extensions.

9. Decorate the topper but keep in mind that you need to keep the top corner inch free for the eyelets to add the hanger.

I added eyelets where the sleeve-side extensions are sandwiched too. I would suggest adding at least ONE if you have used 12 x 12 cardstock and only have a small extension. If you don’t, be sure to add the strongest adhesive you have to sandwich the extensions inside the topper.

10. Add the eyelets and cord/ribbon/twine for the hanger

Oops. Turns out that photo doesn’t actually show the eyelets! But you can see them here:

That is all my WOYWW ATCs from the 4th and the 5th exchanges. And here is the not quite done 2-sleeve one with my own ATCs in it.

I will probably make a 3-sleeve one that is landscape orientation – the same basic principles apply, as to the positioning of the adhesive, etc. so it should be easy peasy. It’ll be too wide for my Ikea bookshelves, but will work on the wall just fine.